Chapter 403: The Rebuilding Begins! The Ulnar Temple! Zerg Transformation!
The current state of this hive was one of complete disrepair. Aside from a few worker drones carrying out basic labor, only simple Zerg units like Zerglings and Roaches remained.
Of course, this was intentional. For the sake of safety, Paul and the others had deliberately avoided choosing a more heavily defended hive. Even Chisaji Fox hadn't expected their operation to go so smoothly.
Thanks to the collective memory of the Zerg, Paul quickly learned how to control them and manage hive construction.
The first step was to produce more Overlords. Their role was to transmit commands and manage larger groups of basic units.
They functioned much like signal relays, helping Paul alleviate some of the psionic strain required for direct control.
This was an essential part of building a powerful Zerg army.
Once it was confirmed that the upgraded Collective Neural Network 2.0 worked effectively in controlling Zerg, Chisaji Fox immediately used a faster-than-light communicator to report back to headquarters.
To fully take control of the Zerg on Char, their small team alone wasn't nearly enough—they would need to dispatch a much larger force of psionic users.
And ideally, they'd upgrade the system further to make Zerg control even more efficient and streamlined.
[Understood. I'll find a way to assign more psionics to Char to assist with the mission.]
That was David Martinez's response after hearing the report.
"We're at a critical phase in expanding the hive. Send as many psionics as possible. If we're short-handed, go raid the Terran Federation, or get Tosh to hand over more Ghost operatives."
Chisaji Fox's voice carried both excitement and urgency.
The upgraded Collective Neural Network was excellent in every regard—except that it required psionics to function.
Until Universal Megacorp made further breakthroughs in psionic theory, they would have to rely on large numbers of psionic users to control the Zerg.
And with billions—possibly even trillions—of Zerg on Char, that meant the Megacorp needed to produce far more psionic warriors.
However, even with full-speed production using Vespene gas to create psionics, from manufacturing to full training, the whole pipeline still couldn't keep up with Chisaji Fox's demand for manpower.
Since there weren't enough psionics, the only solution was to take them from the Terran Federation. David Martinez now not only had to maintain the offensive against Amon with the Protoss...
He also had to carve out time to deal with the Terran Federation, capturing their psionic operatives. This would test David's strategic planning and multitasking capabilities to the limit.
Chisaji Fox seemed to realize the pressure David was under, so she shared a bit of good news:
"Because the Queen of Blades redeployed a huge number of elite forces, and with the Zerg now without centralized control…"
"This hive has already fragmented. Everyone's fighting their own battles. I suggest we deploy more research teams and establish permanent research bases here to study the Zerg on-site."
"It's way more convenient than analyzing biological samples from afar."
The Zerg and the Protoss were both masterpieces of the Xel'naga. Since the Protoss clearly wouldn't agree to be dissected by Megacorp researchers, that left the Zerg as their best option.
If they could deepen their understanding of Zerg biology, then with Megacorp's current level of technology, the hive under Paul's control could evolve down a much more powerful path.
In the upcoming war to crown a new Overmind, Megacorp's Zerg forces would surely seize the upper hand, enabling them to rapidly take control of Char's entire Zerg population.
David nodded. This approach required less effort than simply dispatching more psionic operators, and the results were promising.
"Good. I'll report this to the Scientific Nexus and have them dispatch a professional research team as soon as possible to assist you."
From this point forward, Universal Megacorp would officially take control of the hives on Char, intervening in the ongoing Zerg civil war by cultivating an Overmind loyal to them.
With more psionic users and scientific personnel arriving on-site, Paul no longer needed to worry about the day-to-day management of the hive.
After more than a year of intense work, it was finally time for him to take a well-earned vacation.
Future operations could be handed off to other departments.
And so, under Universal Megacorp's management, the Zerg began to develop along an organized path. With more hatcheries constructed to produce larvae...
Evolution chambers, Baneling nests, and Roach warrens were also steadily built.
Now, aside from Zerglings and standard drones, the Megacorp-controlled hive could independently produce Banelings and Roaches.
However, creating more advanced units like Mutalisks, Ultralisks, and Brood Lords would still require unlocking additional Zerg tech nodes.
Meanwhile, Megacorp's scouting teams were actively surveying the rest of Char, claiming unoccupied territories not yet seized by Zerg Queens.
Perhaps because the other Queens were too busy expanding their own influence, Char was currently in a "land grab" phase.
All the competing Zerg factions were playing the same game: "fortify your base, stockpile resources, and bide your time." Growth was the ultimate priority.
Clearly, the Zerg had already optimized their development cost-efficiency. Every Queen knew how to execute a flawless, high-efficiency build order.
At this stage, the Zerg leadership wasn't battling directly. They were racing to see who could avoid mistakes, build faster, and amass the most powerful army within a limited window.
Which gave Megacorp the perfect opening to insert itself.
Thanks to their early preparations, Megacorp hadn't fallen behind during this explosive land grab.
They quickly seized a massive amount of territory on Char, laying a strong foundation for the coming wars between fragmented Zerg factions.
More than half the hives on the planet had fallen under Megacorp's control.
It was easy to foresee: if the remaining Zerg Queens refused to submit to Megacorp's authority, then a full-scale Zerg civil war would be inevitable.
To that end, Universal Megacorp was preparing to face off against all remaining Zerg factions—alone, if necessary—to fully consolidate Char under their control.
———
Half a year later.
An Infinity-class carrier, escorted by a fleet of warships, slowly approached the Char system—onboard was the inspection fleet commanded by Li Ang himself.
Thanks to the efforts of all Megacorp departments during this time, the Terran Federation and the Earth Union—two major human powers—had already been wiped out.
The process was straightforward: assassinate the leadership, buy off key figures, and overwhelm the rest through sheer military might. The Terran Federation and Earth Union collapsed almost instantly.
The Federation's leader, Arcturus Mengsk, chose to surrender. But Li Ang still sentenced him to death for crimes against humanity.
As for the Earth Union, the outcome wasn't much different. A few were killed, a few were spared. Being human, their loyalty could at least be restructured—better than being colonized by aliens.
Now, with David, Lucy, and other Megacorp executives at his side, Li Ang boarded a shuttle and began descending toward Char to assess the integration process firsthand.
"Boss, we've already connected to Kerrigan through the matrix. General Li and Artanis have each led their forces to the Ulnar Temple."
"I believe they'll be making new progress soon," David reported to Li Ang.
The "Artanis" he mentioned was a key figure within the Protoss faction—a High Templar and, more importantly, their Hierarch, the supreme leader of the Protoss people.
Not long ago, David had just finalized an alliance with Artanis. The two sides were now working together to eliminate Amon once and for all.
Although Artanis didn't fully trust Universal Megacorp yet, witnessing Li Ang's accomplishments firsthand had helped ease much of his wariness.
After all, unlike that lunatic Amon, Megacorp wasn't trying to blow up the entire universe in pursuit of some vague notion of transcendence.
And for that reason alone, there was still room for cooperation.
As David finished his report, Li Ang simply nodded calmly, betraying no emotion. He already knew most of what was said—this briefing was just a formality.
According to the upcoming plot developments, Kerrigan would soon encounter a surviving Xel'naga named Ouros within the Ulnar Temple.
In order to thwart Amon's sinister plans, Ouros would choose to sacrifice himself, passing his essence on to Kerrigan to help her ascend and become a Xel'naga.
With support from Universal Megacorp and the Protoss, and combined with Kerrigan's divine power, destroying Amon was only a matter of time.
The Void realm still existed—Amon could run, but he had nowhere to hide.
Of course, Li Ang planned to give Amon a chance at survival. He would integrate Amon into the Matrix, allowing it to reside as a stream of data energy within the server cluster.
Apart from the Void, this was the only domain capable of housing such a high-dimensional lifeform.
After the report concluded, Li Ang shifted his attention to Char itself.
Down on the surface, the Zerg hives occupied by Universal Megacorp had become new human colonies. A vast number of buildings had been constructed atop the creep-covered terrain.
Just a year ago, such a sight would've been unthinkable.
But now, Zerg drones and AI robots worked side-by-side to harvest resources. Zerglings followed Megacorp soldiers like trained military dogs.
This unprecedented harmony between humans and Zerg left many of the former Terran Federation officials—who had since defected—completely dumbfounded.
Before this, the idea of Zerg coexisting with humanity had sounded like pure fantasy.
Thanks to the Collective Neural Network, Megacorp's research teams had gained a much deeper understanding of the Zerg.
More advanced Zerg units—Ultralisks, Mutalisks, Brood Lords, even Leviathans—were already in the process of being unlocked.
When Li Ang arrived at the central research facility, he found Dr. Ariel Hanson leading a team of Megacorp researchers in a detailed study of Zergling genetic sequences, seeking ways to induce targeted evolution.
Each Megacorp research team had its own vision for how Zerg evolution should proceed. Some focused on enhancing Zergling physical durability...
Others explored integrating Zerg traits with Megacorp's automated weaponry systems.
For instance, Ariel proposed removing the vestigial rear limbs of Zerglings to make room for a mounted AI-guided autocannon developed by Megacorp.
This way, the Zergling's inherent agility could be used to turn it into a mobile gun platform—darting across the battlefield, striking swiftly and unpredictably.
Combined with Megacorp's Veronica system—which could automatically resupply these units with ammunition—this would dramatically increase the threat potential of Zerglings.
So far, Ariel's idea had proven to be the most cost-effective while offering the highest return on investment.
Soon, under Ariel's guidance, Li Ang arrived at a testing chamber.
There, a Zergling clad in powered exoskeletal armor was sprinting across the test field, a compact hard-light cannon mounted to its back. Its rear appendages had been fully removed.
In their place were enhanced spinal muscles to support the mounted weapon.
As it ran, the hard-light cannon fired in rapid bursts, each shot hitting its intended target with pinpoint accuracy.
In the complex terrain of this simulated battlefield, the Zergling's speed and mobility allowed the hard-light cannon to operate like a phantom—striking from unexpected angles, then vanishing.
While Megacorp's AI drones were capable of similar functions, Zergling production was far cheaper.
A single AI drone required a chassis, a built-in AI system, weapon platforms, and an engine core.
The AI systems alone had to be cultivated from the Matrix.
Megacorp's manufacturing prowess wasn't just reflected in its fleets and megastructures. These unseen AI models were also crucial and resource-intensive assets.
If not for the Matrix being powered by Pandora's bioenergy farms and other energy engines, they couldn't afford to produce AI systems at this scale.
Now, with these budget-friendly Zerglings, Megacorp could redeploy some of their automated battle assets elsewhere, letting the new cannon-wielding Zerglings fill the gap in ground warfare.
These agile creatures could scale walls, crawl through ventilation shafts, and traverse challenging terrain with ease. Paired with exoskeletons and AI-guided cannons, their combat value was enormous.
"Very good. This approach is fascinating."
Li Ang smiled and nodded with satisfaction. He clearly approved of Ariel's concept—it was an ideal way to maximize the Zergling's battlefield utility while keeping costs under control.
Especially in the coming Zerg civil war, these upgraded Zerglings could use their mounted weapons to attack enemy Zerg from a distance—
Exploiting their superior reach to kite and harass opposing units.
Traditionally, Zerg warfare was all about brute force—sending hordes of creatures to bite and claw each other to death, much like medieval knights charging headlong into battle.
The side with more bodies usually won—but both sides paid heavy casualties in the process.
Only by evolving new Zerg breeds and updating their combat doctrine could they break free from this bloody, outdated model.
To evaluate the real-world performance of the upgraded Zerglings, Li Ang oversaw a small-scale mock battle between Zerg units.
On the field, these armed Zerglings did not rush headfirst into melee. Instead, they used flanking maneuvers, attempting to encircle enemy Zerglings.
The enemy Zerglings predictably tried to pounce, aiming to use claws and teeth to kill at close range.
But this time, they faced modified and enhanced Zerglings.
Though the upgrades replaced their rear limbs and added the burden of hard-light cannons, the new Zerglings had more developed musculature and stronger limbs.
With the help of the exoskeletal armor, they were actually faster than ordinary Zerglings.
And that speed—combined with ranged firepower—completely flipped the script.
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